Indiana Dunes Beaches

15 Miles of Shoreline, 9 Unique Beaches, and Endless Lakefront Adventure

Life in the Indiana Dunes really is like a day at the beach. That’s because here you'll find 15 miles of award-winning Lake Michigan shoreline to explore and nine scenic, swimmable beaches.

Start your morning with a hike up a windswept sand dune, enjoy a swim in the cool freshwater, or relax with a lakeside picnic as the sun sets. Whether you're grilling at a nearby shelter, casting a line from a fishing pier, or just letting the lake breeze tangle your hair, you'll be enchanted by the magic of the Indiana Dunes.

National Park and State Park Beaches

The Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park offer some of the most beautiful—and accessible—beaches in the Midwest. While both parks share the same stretch of shoreline, each has its own character and amenities:

• Indiana Dunes National Park features multiple beach access points along its 15,000+ acres, including local favorites like West Beach, Portage Lakefront, Kemil Beach, and Central Beach.

• Indiana Dunes State Park is home to a large, centralized beach with lifeguards during the summer, a historic beach house, and access to the famous 3 Dune Challenge trail.

Together, these parks cover over 17,000 acres of protected land, where you can explore not just beaches and dunes, but also prairies, oak savannas, wetlands, and forests. With nearly 2,000 plant and animal species, the Indiana Dunes area is one of the most biodiverse areas in the U.S.

Indiana Dunes Parks

The Indiana Dunes National Park and the Indiana Dunes State Park offer access to dune-lined shores and endless outdoor adventures. Here you can explore beaches, dunes, prairies, oak savannas, wetlands, rivers, bogs, and forests. In the two parks' combined 17,000+ acres, nearly 2,000 different species of plants and animals have been identified. That makes Indiana Dunes one of the most biodiverse areas in the United States!

View Indiana Dunes Beaches